Qatar’s agribusinesses to benefit from South Korean firm’s vertical farming solutions, says official

One of South Korea’s major food manufacturers has been eyeing the Middle East as a potential destination for its vertical farming solutions, according to an official of the company.Nongshim, South Korea’s leading instant noodles and snack manufacturer, has 11 factories globally and is one of the largest food companies in South Korea with sales of about $5bn, said Y J Bae, manager at Nongshim. Bae noted that agriculture was among the key topics of the meeting held between HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz al-Thani and South Korean Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum in Doha last March.Both officials also discussed Qatar-South Korea bilateral relations in the fields of economy, investment, energy, health, security and sports, especially cooperation in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, in addition to discussing developments in regional and international situations of common interest, especially developments in the region, Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported earlier.During the ‘9th Qatar International Agricultural and Environmental (Agritech and Envirotech) Exhibition 2022’ held last month at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre (DECC), Bae said several Qatari officials requested their South Korean counterparts to support Qatar in terms of advanced vertical farming technology. “Aside from water scarcity, the conditions of the Middle East region do not support conventional farming. Since 2021, Nongshim has been pursuing this as one of its priority agendas through a dedicated team. The company has been focusing on introducing its advanced technology to Qatar, which has been enhancing its self-sufficiency programmes. “Nongshim, with its highly-automated and simple vertical farming technology, is one of the pre-selected companies by Qatar Development Bank (QDB) in terms of technology for the vertical farming projects. In September 2020, QDB executives visited South Korea and toured Nongshim’s food production facilities, as well as its vertical farming facility,” Bae told Gulf Times yesterday.To introduce its technology in Qatar, Bae said Nongshim is planning to host a webinar for companies interested in vertical farming and offer them the opportunity to participate and explore ways of introducing the technology in the country. “One of the advantages of Nongshim’s vertical farming technology is its automated robotic solution, which requires a minimum workforce and low maintenance costs while ensuring efficient output. Nongshim aims to find capable entities in Qatar that would be interested in this technology,” Bae pointed out.Also, Bae said Nongshim is willing to provide training programmes for would-be vertical farmers in Qatar, allowing them to train and to be certified to operate and manage their own vertical farms.“Training is an important element to successfully run a vertical farm. It has a positive impact on the output, quality, and quantity of the produce. Nongshim is also willing to provide training to create talent in this field.“Qatar has a rich infrastructure that can be well-utilised for vertical farming. Nongshim is not just a food company but a conglomerate specialising in this field and supported by its subsidiaries in engineering, R&D, and packaging, among others,” Bae added.